Walt Disney’s (DIS) Buy Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $110.00 price objective on the entertainment giant’s stock.

DIS has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $130.00 to $120.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Walt Disney from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Walt Disney from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Walt Disney from $128.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price target on shares of Walt Disney from $139.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.05.

Walt Disney Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE DIS opened at $95.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $92.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $173.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.29, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.40. Walt Disney has a 52-week low of $79.23 and a 52-week high of $123.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The entertainment giant reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $23.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.08 billion. Walt Disney had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 5.30%. The business’s revenue was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walt Disney will post 4.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Calvin Mcdonald purchased 11,756 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $85.06 per share, with a total value of $999,965.36. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,897,943.78. This trade represents a 100.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walt Disney

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DIS. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of Walt Disney by 9.1% during the 1st quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 101,680 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $12,442,000 after acquiring an additional 8,496 shares during the period. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walt Disney by 45.0% in the first quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,699 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $575,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Walt Disney by 25.1% in the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 697 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walt Disney by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 29,472 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $3,606,000 after buying an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrive Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Walt Disney by 50.2% in the 1st quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,955 shares of the entertainment giant’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 1,321 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.71% of the company’s stock.

Walt Disney Company Profile

The Walt Disney Company operates as an entertainment company worldwide. It operates through three segments: Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences. The company produces and distributes film and television video streaming content under the ABC Television Network, Disney, Freeform, FX, Fox, National Geographic, and Star brand television channels, as well as ABC television stations and A+E television networks; and produces original content under the ABC Signature, Disney Branded Television, FX Productions, Lucasfilm, Marvel, National Geographic Studios, Pixar, Searchlight Pictures, Twentieth Century Studios, 20th Television, and Walt Disney Pictures banners.